Organisers hope the lure of St Patrick’s Day will help create a local regatta to rival the Head of the Charles in Boston worth €30m to their economy.

Last year was the first Tribesmen Head of the River event in many years and next year will mark the 50th anniversary since the first iconic rowing event took place.

Sparked by the huge amount of interest among the rowing fraternity coming to Galway to race this weekend, President of the Tribesmen Rowing Club, Colin Hanley, said they had big plans to grow the regatta into the biggest one in Europe.

Over 30 international crews, 26 crews from around Ireland and the remainder from Galway will create quite the spectacle racing along the River Corrib this Saturday in what will be the biggest Tribesmen Head of the River regatta yet held.

Over 1,000 athletes will be battling it out in time trials. The first race starts at 11am and the second ‘head’ starts at 3pm. There will be a succession of boats with four and eight competitors racing the 4km distance for around 90 minutes in each head.  The course starts at the lake, with crews entering the water at Fisheries Field, the ‘Jes’ or at Stormer’s Quay. It continues past the Menlo Castle finishing at the Quincentenary Bridge.

Two of the crews are from America, while others are arriving from France, Italy, Sweden, Germany and Wales.

At least 100 people are travelling with the rowers from the US to watch the event and enjoy festivities over St Patrick’s weekend. Dangan is the best viewing location to catch the action.

“We have over 1,000 rowers and we’re expecting double that in friends and family and to watch from the banks of the river,” explained Colin.

This year the fastest international crew will receive the inaugural Billy Lawless Trophy in honour of the celebrated Galway city native turned Chicago businessman who helped a generation of Irish people in their quest to become legal emigrants.

Billy, who died last November, was one of the founders of the Tribesmen Rowing Club. One of the visiting crews from LaSalle High School in Pennsylvania is dedicating their first race to his memory.

“We think our strong link with Billy Lawless will really open up connections with American crews and we’re going to write to all Irish clubs to host a club from overseas next year and bring them to the Corrib for the Head of the River to celebrate our 50th anniversary.

“Our goal is to have an event right up there with the Head of the Charles in Boston which is worth €30m to the city – we want to be the European equivalent. They have huge events in Oxford and Cambridge and the London Head is well known but our one could be huge in Galway.”

Members of the Tribesmen don’t compete in the regatta as they are hosting but 150 of them will be volunteering across the day alongside members of the Galway Rowing Club.

Many of the competitors and their families are staying in the Connacht Hotel, which is a sponsor, while others are being hosted by families in the local rowing community.

“A lot of ‘Bish’ families are putting up the LaSalle guys, the Galway Rowing Club are putting up the French, I’ve got some Germans, we’re all doing our bit,” revealed Colin.

“It’s a huge commitment, a huge undertaking but we’ve got the right people in place in the Tribesmen to grow this, people with the right experience who were around for events in the ’70s. This really could be massive.”

Pictured: Dangan is the best location for viewing the Tribesmen Head of the River races this weekend.